Govt to bring aam aadmi law against everyday graft

Scrambling to counter the Anna Hazare wave ahead of Parliament's winter session, the government on Wednesday said it is drafting a law that will tackle everyday corruption faced by the aam aadmi. HT reports.Citizen's Right to Grievance Redress Bill

Scrambling to counter the Anna Hazare wave ahead of Parliament's winter session, the government on Wednesday said it is drafting a law that will tackle everyday corruption faced by the aam aadmi.

A similar idea was rejected by the same government in 2008.

The bill, once enacted, will mean that if your passport, driving licence - indeed, every government service, including the police - is not processed within a specified time, babus dealing with them can be punished.

"This is the mirror image of the Lokpal Bill, which will look into corruption in high places. This bill will tackle day-to-day corruption," said rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, who was key to drafting the bill.

The bill is along the lines of the Right to Information Act and is also close to what Team Anna had demanded as the 'citizen's charter'.

It will be introduced in the winter session, ahead of Hazare's December deadline for passing the Lokpal Bill in Parliament.

The Citizens Right to Grievance Redress Bill, 2011 gives legal backing for citizen's charter and has a a multi-tier grievance redressal mechanism.

Ramesh said this bill was part of the government's panchsheel against corruption. The other bills on lokpal, judicial accountability and protection of whistleblowers are in Parliament, and a fifth - on public procurement - will come soon.

Government managers, however, denied they brought this draft law under pressure from Team Anna. The government has invited public suggestions on the draft in the next 21 days on its website.